Call me a romantic hopeful. I just love movies like Pretty Woman when Edward whisks Vivian to San Francisco in his private jet just to watch the opera La Traviata. Obviously, we can’t afford to imitate that, but we did create something on a cheaper scale for my birthday.
Let’s set the stage. It was my birthday. I hadn’t seen My Thirsty Gator for over a week. And, did I tell you it was my birthday? What more does one need to splurge a bit? Our splurge was simple: the private jet was a Jet Blue flight from Jacksonville to D.C. on a Wednesday and return on a Thursday. My private car was the D.C. Metro.
It’s such a quick flight from Jacksonville. With a mid-morning flight, I had ample time to meet some friends at Jaleo’s for a tasty, albeit garlicky lunch. Then, I made my way over to DuPont Circle to meet My Thirsty Gator. We booked a city view room at the Embassy Row Hotel. While on the surface, the hotel appears expensive, it is by far cheaper than many of the older hotels in the area.
We were looking forward to one thing: The Rooftop Bar and Pool. It is a small pool, but the conversation areas and the views from the patio are fantastic! We learned that they host many interesting events on the weekends. The one that piqued our interest is the Silent Disco Sunset. Headsets light up to match each of three DJs’ tunes. You find others to dance with based on the headset colors. The bartenders told us that this was hilarious to watch!
Our pièce de résistance was dinner at Floriana. Floriana is on Trip Advisor’s list of D.C.s’ ten most romantic restaurants, and, yes, we agree with that. The restaurant is in a quaint historic house. Some reviewers complained that it is too noisy. Agreed, but, we thought they spaced tables far enough apart to compensate for that and allow for private conversations. Floriana’s wait staff is superb. Our waiter was both friendly and attentive. The menu is more upscale than your typical Italian menu with Entrees like Muscovy Duck Breast with smoked potato gnocchi and Tortellini Mignon. Their claim to fame is their homemade pasta. We agree. The lasagna was extremely tasty and fresh. To top it off, we had surprises. Who doesn’t love surprises? All wine is half price on Wednesdays. Perfect. Who knew? And, our waiter delivered me a birthday Tiramisu. So, free dessert! No complaints here!
The next day, we had time for a leisurely breakfast, stroll, and lunch before catching my flight back to Jacksonville. While we were strolling, we came across an unusual looking building advertised as “The Brewmaster’s Castle.” We were standing outside trying to figure out what this building was when a woman came out and practically dragged us in for a tour (I’m serious…in a fun way though). Regardless, we found the tour enjoyable and we learned something new. An architect designed the house in 1892 for German immigrant and brewer Christian Heurich. Christian founded the Christian Heurich Brewing Company, which became the largest in Washington D.C.’s history, capable of producing 500,000 barrels of beer a year. I had no idea there ever was a brewery in D.C. Sadly, the brewery closed in 1956. The Historical Society now owns the house and hosts tours daily and beer tastings the third Thursday of every month. We’ll just add that to my list for the next time I am back in town.
So, there you have it, my one day jet setter trip to Washington D.C. I agree, this was an extravagant trip that I just don’t expect others to repeat. But, sometimes you just have to splurge. It was worth it.